Michener the Man

James Michener is remembered as a writer, politician and art lover.

By: Ilene Dube
   In the nearly 20-year history of the James A. Michener Art Museum, during all the exhibits celebrating Bucks County’s artistic heritage, the man for whom the institution was named may not have been foremost in the minds of museum-goers. An exhibition on the centennial anniversary of his birth, James A. Michener: Traveler/Citizen/Writer, reminds us of the important role the Pulitzer Prize-winning author (1907-1997) played in everything from art to politics.
   According to the exhibit, Pope John Paul II was one day greeted by a diverse collection of personalities — art collector, journalist, naval veteran, politician, educator, bullfighter, philanthropist and best-selling writer. In fact, all were contained in the person of James Michener, a "literary icon and roving ambassador of good will."
   And yet Michener’s origins were humble. There was no record of his birth, believed to have taken place Feb. 3, 1907, in New York City. When he was a few days old, he was brought into the foster family of Mabel Michener in Doylestown, Pa. He spent time visiting the county almshouse where he was inspired by the stories of the guests.
   Henry Chapman Mercer built his famous castle on Pine Street, and young James began thinking of art on a grand scale, his view of philanthropy incubating.
   He considered himself a "hobo at heart," and at the age of 12 hitchhiked across the country.
   Editor of his high school yearbook, he was a member of the championship basketball team and president of his class. Upon graduating from Swarthmore College in 1929, he pursued a teaching career, including a stint at George School in Newtown, Pa.
   After serving in the navy, he wrote Tales of the South Pacific (1947), inspired by the tales of the characters he met. It won the Pulitzer, and after Rodgers and Hammerstein made a successful adaptation on Broadway, Michener left his editor job at Macmillan to pursue full-time writing.
   By the 1960s, he’d acquired a sizable collection of 20th-century American paintings, with a focus on unsung emerging artists. The exhibit includes two paintings from his collection that were given to the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, one by Helen Frankenthaler and another by Grace Hartigan.
   Michener’s career in politics took off at the same time: he won the Congressional seat in Pennsylvania’s eighth district in 1962, then in 1968 served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention. Seven presidents named him to their advisory councils: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon (whom he accompanied on his historic trip to China), Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton; and in 1977 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
   He was an advocate for women’s rights. Serving on the NASA advisory board, he fought for the inclusion of women on space shuttle flights. His books included women of character and diverse races, and he hired women for roles ranging from lawyer to literary agent. "Injustice and prejudice kill the human spirit," he wrote.
   At age 85, the author of 37 books wrote in his memoir: "I always wanted to be better than I was." He wanted to be a good citizen, and used writing to achieve it. His philanthropy included giving more than $100 millions to universities, libraries and museums. In addition to giving paintings and prints, he bestowed a $15 million endowment to the University of Texas to create the Michener Center for Writers.
   With his wife, Mari Sabusawa Michener, Michener lived modestly. The title for the exhibit comes from the words he chose for his epitaph: Traveler/Writer/Citizen.
James A Michener: Traveler/Writer/Citizen is on view at the James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, Pa., through July 8. Museum hours: Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. Admission costs $6.50, $6 seniors, $4 students, members and children under 6 free. (215) 340-9800; www.michenermuseum.org